


From Cigarettes To The Cineplex

by Greenmia (Dontwantpeoplefindingme)



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Bullying, Child Abuse, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Ethan and Cineplex Boy Are Pining, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Enemies to Friends Again to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23149201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dontwantpeoplefindingme/pseuds/Greenmia
Summary: It all started with the school bleachers and Ethan Green’s need to be curious.He hadn’t known at the time what that curiosity would turn into.
Relationships: Cineplex Teen/Ethan Green, Ethan Green & Ted, Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 16
Kudos: 64





	From Cigarettes To The Cineplex

It all started, he believes, on the day that they met; a balmy day in August. It was 7:45 in the morning in their seventh grade year, and Ethan Green was, for the twentieth consecutive day in the school year, the only person under the bleachers on the football field. 

Or, well, he was the only one, until _he_ darted under there with him. And Ethan Green, seeing this lean, small boy in front of him, his slicked back, black hair falling into strands, and his glasses, too big for his face, slipping off every few seconds, was immediately love-stricken. Though, he wasn’t aware of it yet. 

The boy was a stuttering mess, barely managing an apology before Ethan held up a hand to stop him. Large, hazel eyes widened at the cigarette perched between Ethan’s middle and index finger. 

“Y-You smoke?! You know that’s really bad for you! You could get lung cancer! Oh, and if a teacher finds you—“

“You always talk this much?”

The boy clamped his mouth shut, cheeks tinged red with embarrassment. Ethan could only smirk, rising from where he laid against one of the support rods. He had barely sat up before the other stepped back from him. 

He quirked one dark brow. “I’m not gonna hurt you, kid. Chill out.” The boy still didn’t look convinced, so Ethan held up his hands, making a show of stubbing out the cigarette and of flicking it away. Before the kid could comment on him littering, Ethan spoke first, “What’s your name?”

The boy hugged his arms to his chest, hesitant as he stuttered out, “A-Arthur. Arthur Kinsley.” 

Ethan grinned, playfully holding out a hand for the other. “Well, Arthur Kinsley, I’m Ethan Green. You got a reason you’re hangin’ out under these bleachers this fine mornin’ or did you just come to keep me company?” 

Arthur hastily took the hand offered, and Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle at how he trembled. “Come on, I’m not _that_ scary, am I?”

“And you say _I_ talk a lot…” Arthur mumbled, freezing as he heard Ethan’s laughter echo throughout the area. “S-sorry-! I just...s-some of the other kids were waiting to grab me by the entrance...so I ran back here to hide…”

“And you’re not scary! Not at all!” He rushed to add. Though, Ethan wasn’t focused on that. 

At the time, Ethan didn’t quite understand why the first bit irritated him, but it did, and he huffed, “Fuckin’ dipshits...don’t worry about ‘em, Artie. I’ll walk in with you and you’ll be fine.”

“A-Artie?” The boy questioned, before continuing, “Y-You will?” The striking fear that was in the boy’s eyes filled Ethan’s mouth with something sour, but the small sliver of hope he saw made his decision resolute, and from then on in their seventh grade year, Ethan Green was the sworn protector of Arthur Kinsley. Everyone knew to steer clear. Eight grade, however, was when things changed for the worse. 

Eighth grade was when Ethan Green learned that he liked boys. 

The realization wasn’t a quick one, but boy was it sudden. And unfortunately, it happened because of Arthur. 

It was early January, right before the end of winter break. He was at Arthur’s house, a common occurrence after just a few months of being friends. Arthur never questioned why they never went over to Ethan’s and Ethan never spoke about it. 

They were in his living room, the two pressed together comfortably as they tried to fit onto Arthur’s too-small loveseat. The smaller of the two was reading a book, while the larger had his feet kicked up onto Arthur’s lap, sketching who-knows-what onto a pad of paper. 

This should have been a clear sign for Ethan at this point, since he rarely let anyone touch him, much less he _himself_ initiated contact. But he didn’t realize. It wasn’t until he cracked a joke and Arthur looked up at him again with those _too-large hazel fucking eyes_ that Ethan realized how hopelessly in love he was with this boy in front of him. He loved his laugh, that laugh that was absolute music to his ears and Arthur’s stupid hair that he could never keep slicked back more than two minutes. 

“Something wrong, Eth?” 

Well that snapped him out of it. His cheeks went a light pink and he shook his head. “Y-Your glasses are crooked, Artie. Got distracted.” At that, Arthur was quick to readjust his specs that definitely _didn’t_ need to be adjusted, and Ethan was barely able to hide his accidental staring. 

_What was wrong with him? Why was he thinking like that? Did he like—? No, he couldn’t. But did he?_

The brunette’s eyes stayed glued to his paper after that, and didn’t move up until Arthur physically tilted up his chin. Ethan couldn’t help but flush, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from going wide. 

“Ethan, seriously...are you alright? I’ve been calling your name for like a minute now!” 

Ethan couldn’t speak, he couldn’t _think_. All his mind could focus on was the fact that Arthur’s hand was _still on him_. He was staring again. He couldn’t help but think how soft Arthur’s lips might be—

“Ethan? _Eth—“_

And Ethan had leaned in, closing the gap between them. His suspicions were right; _his lips **were** like pillows._ His heart fluttered at the small intake of breath he heard come from Arthur, and it soared when the other pulled him in further. 

He brought a hesitant hand up to cup Arthur’s cheek, the raven’s hand having dropped from his chin the moment their lips touched. Arthur seemed to tremble as they kissed, grasping onto Ethan’s broad shoulders for leverage. 

_Screw getting high,_ Ethan thought. _This is fucking awesome._

They kissed and they kissed until Arthur finally pushed him away, to which Ethan definitely _did not_ let out a small whine of protest at. 

“E-Ethan...what is this? W-What...I don’t understand…”

“Kissing? It’s when you put your lips against someone else’s—“

“Not that, silly,” Arthur interrupted, an amused look in his eyes. “I’m asking _why_ you kissed me, Ethan.” A panicked look sprung up into his expression. 

“Wait, did Ben and Zach tell you about this?! Is that why?! Oh, I’m so sorry! You probably think I’m disgusting...yeah, there’s no way someone like _you_ could like me—“

Ethan cut him off with another press of his lips, and Arthur squeaked into silence. When they separated, Ethan pinched the other’s nose playfully, earning a whine from the smaller boy. 

“What do Ben and Zach have to do with this? They givin’ you shit again? And ‘ _like me_ ’? The hell does that mean?” Arthur looked sheepish at the questions, choosing to hide his face in his hands rather than look Ethan in the eye. 

“They found a-a poem I made about you...t-they ripped it up and threatened to tell you…” He peaked between his fingers. “And yes, like you. Have you seen yourself, Ethan? I’m still wondering why you wanted to be my friend...much less _like_ me how I like you…”

Ethan pushed the boy’s hands away from his face, cupping his cheeks lightly so that he’d look at him. 

“I won’t let them touch you. I...I really like you, Arthur. You’re just...god I’m not good with words…” Ethan let out a nervous chuckle. “You’re amazing and...if they bother you again, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

“As long as ‘taking care of it’ doesn’t involve getting expelled,” Arthur teased. 

“No promises.” Ethan couldn’t resist kissing the cute little grin off of Arthur’s face. 

They kissed for hours after that, and then some. Though, good times can’t always last forever. 

Ethan had to leave at one point during the night. He had to go home, no matter how much he didn’t want to. Upon entering the rundown shack he called a home, he wasn’t surprised to hear his parents bickering in the living room. It was over the television, he guessed, based on the loud chattering of the speakers and the constant change of sounds coming from them. 

He assumed he could walk right on by to his room. They would ignore him, like usual, and he could hide himself until he had to get up for school. That night was different though. 

Instead of ignoring him, he heard the call of his name come from his father. He paused, not sure if he heard right. 

“Ethan, are you fucking stupid? Come over here, I need to talk to you about something I heard at work today…”

The brunette just nodded, hesitantly stepping over to where his dad sat like a log in his beaten lazy-boy. The man didn’t even bother to get up, just gazed up at Ethan with an impassive look, and the boy wasn’t sure what to think. 

“So I heard from my buddy Tom that some fuckin’ boy was writing...what was it? Some shitty _poem_ about you? His boy apparently found it.”

When he went silent, Ethan knew this meant he needed to explain himself. 

“A-A poem..? That’s kinda dumb, don’t ya think?” He replied. He couldn’t let them find out about Artie. That boy was the one good thing in his life…

“See, that’s what I’m thinkin’ too. But that’s not what bugs me. What pisses me off is the fact that little Zach told his pa that you have been spendin’ time with this boy since _seventh grade_. Mind telling me why the hell you’re hangin’ out with some _faggot_? Because if you’re doing with him what I think you’re doing with him—“

“I d-didn’t know! I didn’t know he was some…” Ethan could feel his stomach coil with disgust as he choked on the word. “I didn’t know he was some fag, Dad...he’s smart, and you know I’m as dumb as a box a’ rocks. I thought I could get school crap from him...nothing else.” His voice was quiet by the end, and Ethan had never been more disgusted with himself for having to lie and what he lied about. 

He flinched as his dad clapped a meaty hand onto his thigh. “That’s what I thought. No son of mine would be caught dead being some fairy. I don’t want you bein’ around this boy anymore, ya hear? I don’t want people talkin’. Tom’s son and his friends would be glad to take you in if you asked. Got it?”

Ethan nodded, throat tight. 

His father sneered, “I said: _got it_?”

Ethan gulped, “Y-Yessir…” 

The man smirked. “Good. Now get the fuck outta here. We’re tryin’ to watch something.”

That was Ethan’s cue to _get the hell out of there immediately_. He didn’t want to find out what his dad would do if he didn’t. So off he went to his room. He wouldn’t come out until morning. His whole night was spent obsessing over what the next day would bring, and the aching feeling in his chest and stomach when he thought about Arthur. 

Arthur, such a sweet boy...and Ethan, Ethan couldn’t even offer him an explanation of what he had to do. 

The morning was rough. The brunette, with much pain in his heart, completely passed by the bleachers at 7:45. He walked into the school, jaw clenched. 

“Yo, Green! You’re here a bit early, don’t ya think?” Ethan looked up, a bit surprised, but not entirely to see Zach Taylor looking at him with a quirked brow. The kid had been putting his baseball gear into his locker. Early practice, Ethan guessed. 

“‘S not a big deal…” he mumbled. He didn’t really want to be talking to him. Not after last night. 

“You just gonna sit like a loner for an hour? Why don’t you come hang out with me and Ben?” The smug look on Zach’s face made Ethan’s fists clench. So he _knew_ what he was doing. But Ethan gave his word. No getting expelled. 

“You sure? I don’t _do_ baseball or any of that sports shit.”

Zach only snorted. “Doesn’t matter. Anything is better than hanging out with _Arthur Kinsley_ , right?” Ethan wanted to defend him, wanted to scream at Zach to fuck off, and that Arthur was the only good person in this god-forsaken town. 

But he didn’t. He remembered what his father said. Remembered what the man could _do_. And he lied, like the sick fuck he was. 

“Yeah, man...the kid’s a freak. You hear about the poem he wrote about me? Fuckin’ disgusting…” The words felt like fire coming out of his mouth, but the satisfaction in Zach’s eyes, Ethan tried to convince himself that it was all worth it. 

Zach clapped him on the back, pushing him toward the direction of the cafeteria. Reluctantly, Ethan followed without protest. 

“I saw that shit with my own eyes. _My heart, as quick as a butterfly, only beats for him_ ,” Zach mocked. He snickered. “What a crock of shit, huh? What were you even doing hanging out with him anyways?” 

Ethan had to play the game if he wanted to survive. Had to play the game if he didn’t want Artie to get hurt because of him. Well, hurt more than he had to. 

“Had to pass my classes somehow, didn’t I?”

Zach cackled. “Green, you sly motherfucker! Come on, you’ll fit right in…”

And so Ethan went. And he talked with them, _lied_ to them. He covered his ass while fucking over Arthur. He hated himself. He could only imagine the betrayal Artie would feel when he saw him...saw him like this. 

Those ideas only came to light later in the day. The school day had finished, and instead of Ethan leaving the school by his lonesome like he wanted, he was caught by Zach and Ben in the halls as he exited his classroom. 

And they weren’t the only ones. 

The look of anger, of sadness and absolute betrayal etched onto Arthur’s face as Ethan passed him...the image was burned into his brain, haunting him. And Ethan wanted to cry. 

But he didn’t. He continued joking with Zach. Mocked Arthur with Ben. Only stopped when they parted ways in the parking lot, since the other two had to go to practice. 

He flinched when he heard the shriek of his name come from a few feet away. Glancing to his side, he saw Artie. His face was red, eyes glassy. His messy hair was even messier, and Ethan could feel the pit inside him grow even deeper. 

“Ethan…” The raven’s voice was trembling. All Ethan wanted to do was hold him and never let go. 

“Arthur…” 

Artie seemed to balk at the full use of his name. Ethan never called him that. “What the _fuck_ , Ethan?”

“What do you mean?” 

More tears swelled in his eyes. “W-Why were you with them? Why didn’t you come to our spot this morning? Why did you join in with them…” He hiccuped, and Ethan’s heart shattered as he started to sob. 

“D-D-Did you lie? Was w-what you said yesterday made up? I-Is this some sick f-f-fucking _joke_ to you?!” He quickly rubbed away the tears with the heels of his hands. “W-were you on their side this entire time…?” 

“I…” Ethan could feel his resolve breaking. 

“What?! Explain! Please…” 

He was about to respond, to tell him he _did_ like him. That he cared about him _so much_ and how much it hurt to do this. His resolve almost crumbled, and it would’ve if not for the honk of the horn behind him, and the yell of his father out the drivers side. 

“Ethan! Come on, son. I have shit to do!” 

Ethan gulped, watched the confusion swirl in Artie’s eyes, and he made a decision. 

“Like I’d actually get caught dead being friends with you. I’m not a fucking fag, Arthur. I thought I’d go along with your shit so that I could still pass, but…” Ethan sneered, “I don’t think I’m interested in risking catching the _gay_ from you. So just fuck off already, go cry like a bitch somewhere else.”

Another honk. Ethan turned around. He didn’t want to see the face that matched the hurt sobs that came from the smaller boy behind him. 

When he got into the car, his dad was smirking. “That the fairy?” At Ethan’s nod he chuckled. “You sure told him off, didn’t ya’? That’s my boy!” Another shake of his shoulder. 

Ethan wanted to puke. The aching pit that formed that day, it stayed long after that. 

Everything went downhill from there. Ethan tried to ignore Arthur the rest of the year, only joining in on the taunting when he was asked. He didn’t look him in the eyes. Didn’t want to see the light starting to dim in the hazel specs. They graduated middle school, and ninth grade wasn’t much different. 

His sophomore year was when he got introduced to drugs. Ben had gotten a bag of weed from a senior on their baseball team. The high made Ethan forget about his mistakes, his misdeeds. He smoked more than Ben and Zach combined. And when he came home from one of their houses, red-eyed and aloof, his father only let out a gruff laugh and let him on his way. 

It was around March that year that he started going to school high. He barely hid it, but he never got in trouble. The adults in Hatchetfield just simply didn’t care. He ignored the pitying looks that he received from Arthur, and he snapped at those who looked at him even the slightest bit wrong. He started getting into fights, knuckles permanently bruised from how often they occurred. 

He started instigating the bullying, mocked more than just Arthur, started getting rough rather than verbal. The first time he slapped Arthur, he threw up for half an hour afterwards. 

Those sobs kept him up at night. So he smoked rather than slept, weed or cigarettes, it didn’t matter. He hated himself more and more by the day. 

His junior year was when he met Lex Foster. She was pretty, silver-tongued. Zach had introduced them at a party one day. They were dating two days later. 

Despite being in a relationship, Ethan’s heart only broke more, throat like cotton and stomach like ice. 

He could tell Lex noticed. She noticed everything. She noticed when he smoked a bit more, when he slept less. But she never criticized him, only hugged him a little tighter, pretended not to see his tears when he cried. And he liked it that way. 

He realized he was in love with her around Christmas. He was with her and her younger sister, Hannah, the three of them sipping hot cocoa as they watched the lights flicker on the big Christmas tree in the middle of town. 

Lex was laughing at something Hannah was telling her, and the lights, oh they were beautiful as they bounced off of her skin. She looked like she was glowing, and Ethan couldn’t help but just _stare_. 

He told her that he loved her that night, and in Lex fashion, her only response was a smirk and a small whisper of, “I know” before they fell into bed together. Ethan hiked up his leather jacket the next day at school just a bit higher than usual. 

They started saving for California in May, and Ethan saw Arthur less. It was quite a shock to him when he saw him one day. The boy had grown quite a bit since middle school, almost his height, and he’d become impossibly more lean. He was still just as beautiful, and he still held just as much of Ethan’s tattered heart as he did before. 

Ethan scattered the boy’s skin with bruises that day, and not with the kind he wanted. 

Senior year, he was the only one who went after Arthur. Zach and Ben had been caught stealing from a gas station. The guilt grew ten times over. 

Senior year he started ditching. Lex ditched with him. They spent their time hiding. They spent their time under the bleachers. The tenth time they went, Ethan threw up. But he didn’t cry, didn’t explain. Lex didn’t make him, and for that he was happy about. It was December when things went to shit. 

Arthur had finally started to fight back. 

It started with yelling. He’d call him names, use his own secrets against him. And when that didn’t work, he used his fists. Arthur got his first suspension that year. 

Lex finally started asking questions after that. Ethan couldn’t answer, wouldn’t answer. He became distant, and just like middle school, Ethan drove off yet another person he loved. 

She broke up with him on New Year’s. 

Ethan got drunk that night, stayed drunk for three days. He was still drunk when his father beat him for stealing his good vodka, and even still when he got thrown out with only the clothes on his back and his car keys. 

It was reckless to drive that night. He didn’t know where he was going, but when he ended up at the park just down the street from where Arthur lived, he didn’t stop himself from crying this time. 

They were angry tears, wet and hot. He needed to get rid of his anger, needed to do _something_ to distract himself from the grave he’d dug. So he got out of his car, not even bothering to shut the door. He kicked the ground, stumbling as the world spun around him. 

He didn’t bother being quiet as he let out yells of frustration. The tree near him was his next victim, his hands turning bloody as he swung at it. The pain didn’t register, only the blur of guilt and anger and sadness that had built up until then. 

He nearly fell as he was yanked back, the familiar voice startling. 

“What the ever-loving _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?!” Arthur’s eyes were wild with panic, hair windswept and his chest rising and falling quickly as he panted. 

_Was he running?_ Ethan thought. He didn’t ask though, just yelled.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me!” He slurred. Arthur didn’t let go of him, and Ethan didn’t fight to be free. The touch was grounding, but the brunette would never admit that. 

“Ethan…”

 _“I can’t…”_ Tears slipped freely from Ethan’s eyes. “Let go of me!” 

Arthur’s grip tightened. “Are you drunk?! God, what the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Nothing! Leave me the hell alone!”

“Not until you explain what’s going on!”

 _“I can’t!”_ Ethan jerked as sobs began to bubble up from his throat. “I can’t...I can’t...I can’t...don’t make me…” 

Arthur’s grip loosened on him, and he finally yanked his arm free, stumbling back a bit. He ended up tripping over his feet and falling backwards. 

The raven called out his name, rushing over. But Ethan didn’t care, he just cried, finally letting out the years of pain that wrapped around his heart like a vice. He was too wrapped up in his own self-pity to notice Arthur pulling him against his body, trying to soothe him. 

When Ethan finally noticed his position he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. “W-Why...why are you being nice to me…?”

Artie simply glared at him. “Somehow you’ve gotten yourself into some shit. I may dislike you, but we were friends once, and I care about you. So shut the fuck up and let me help you.” 

Ethan couldn’t help but notice the way the other’s fingers carded through his curls as he scolded him. This made him crack a smile. _What an Artie thing to do…_

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to sit here in the dark all night,” Arthur began. “What we’re going to do—and no, you don’t get a choice in this—is I’m going to stand up and help you back to my house. We’re going to get you freshened up and in the morning you’re going to tell me everything.”

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur cut him off, “I mean _everything_ , Ethan. You’re not getting out of this.” 

“What about my car?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake—“ The raven was barely able to kick close the driver’s door. “It’s a piece of junk so no one is going to steal it. Just leave it here for tonight and we’ll get it tomorrow.”

Ethan nodded, still a bit out of it from the alcohol in his system. He groaned as Arthur pulled him up for the ground, but started to giggle as the other cursed under the brunt of his weight. 

“Jesus _fuck_ , I knew you were muscular but holy shit you’re heavy-!” he whined, pulling Ethan with him toward his house just a couple hundred feet down the road. 

They got up to the front door with only a moderate amount of struggling, with it mostly being Arthur telling Ethan to lose weight, and Ethan leaning onto Arthur more in his drunken stupor. 

“You have to be quiet when we walk in, okay? I don’t think my parents would take very kindly to me dragging in a drunk at one in the morning,” Arthur told Ethan, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Yeah, yeah...gonna punish me if I’m not?” Ethan slurred, giggling. Arthur rolled his eyes at the comment, and he tugged Ethan inside. Thankfully, Ethan stayed quiet as Arthur pulled him down the hallway to his room. 

He pushed a stumbling Ethan onto his bed when they walked in, shutting his bedroom door as quiet as he could. Ethan fell onto the bed with a plop and a loud ‘umph’. 

He giggled, “If you wanted me in your bed that badly, Artie, you should have just said so. I would have said yes.”

Arthur merely grumbled at the comment, cheeks pink as he walked over to the brunette. He smacked Ethan’s calf to get his attention. 

“Ooh. Kinky.”

“Ethan, shut the fuck up and take off your fucking shoes. While you’re at it, just take off your jeans and your jacket. You’re not sleeping in those.”

Before Ethan could speak, Arthur pinched his leg. “No sexual jokes, you bastard. I know what you’re thinking.”

Ethan pouted, but complied and did as Arthur asked. He raised an eyebrow at the other, who was turned around. 

“The fuck are you doin’?”

Arthur went rigid. “G-Giving you privacy! Hurry up! I’m tired.” He spun around when Ethan started to cackle, face flushed bright red. “S-Shut up! It’s not funny!” 

But Ethan wouldn’t stop laughing, his drunken haze not allowing him to quit. Arthur, flustered as all hell, rushed over to the bed. He tried to shove his hands over Ethan’s mouth, but the other simply ducked out of his reach. But Arthur was persistent, hands frantically trying to muffle the laughter coming from Ethan. And before the two knew it, Arthur had climbed on top of Ethan, finally managing to cover his mouth. 

Ethan was still giggling, but Arthur felt pride knowing that he’d done what he set out to do. That was, until he realized their position. Ethan was lying back on the bed, arms haphazardly strewn over his head. His cheeks were pink with the effects of alcohol and excessive laughter, eyes twinkling with amusement and something Arthur couldn’t quite name. 

The raven himself was straddling him, legs tucked under Ethan’s to keep him from flailing, both hands covering the boy’s mouth. Arthur’s already blushing face turned impossibly more red, and he opened his mouth to speak, but found himself looking more like a fish than actually saying any sense of a sentence. 

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean t-to! I’ll get off right—“

He squeaked as Ethan’s hands came up to rest at the small of his back. 

Ethan turned his head so that Arthur was no longer covering his face, and the raven didn’t fight it. He smirked, “You talk too much, Artie.” 

Arthur made a sound of frustration and scrambled to get off of the other, throwing himself under the covers of his bed. 

“Shut up! Go to sleep! I’m not dealing with your shit right now!” 

Ethan pouted, but got under the covers as well. He poked Arthur’s leg with his toe. “Your shoes are still on.”

He heard the loud ‘plunk’ of rubber against a hard surface as Arthur flung his sneakers at the wall. Ethan chuckled again, the drowsiness from being drunk finally catching up to him. 

The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was the top of Arthur’s head peeking out from under the covers, and the redness on the small part of his exposed face that Ethan could see. 

For once, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. 

Ethan hadn’t slept that soundly in years, that was, until he was awoken spontaneously by a pillow to the face. He groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, head pounding and throat like sandpaper. 

“Get up!” 

He whined, leg kicking out to the side to swat at Arthur. He hadn’t quite opened his eyes yet, for they felt like they were glued shut. 

_“Ethan!”_

“Leave me beeee. Everything hurts!” He grumbled, voice thick with sleep. He heard Arthur pause for a moment, as if thinking, before he was once again hit with a pillow. 

“Get up, you lazy ass! You need to get some water and food in you, and _we_ have to have a little talk.”

Ethan only grumbled, choosing to ignore the ‘talk’ part of the statement and covering his head with the covers. He yelped when they were suddenly pulled all of the way off of him. 

“Fine, fine!” He yelled, finally blinking open heavy eyelids. Arthur was standing beside the bed, covers in hand with one eyebrow raised. 

“There’s a glass of water and ibuprofen on the counter beside you,” Arthur explained. “And I have some frozen waffles cooking in the toaster down the hall.” 

Ethan groggily reached for the water and pain pills, downing them both rather quickly. He whined, “You’re a godsend, Artie!” 

Arthur just rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his bed-head. “Hurry and get up. My parents already left for the day so you don’t have to worry about getting dressed.”

“Just admit you wanna see me in my boxers,” Ethan teased. However, instead of the insult he was expecting, all he received was an icy cold glare from the other. Arthur stormed out of the room after that. 

Ethan was left sitting on the bed, the realization dawning on him that he couldn’t be so casual. He’d forgotten the years of turmoil between the pair in just a measly few hours. Arthur made him comfortable, too comfortable, and that was dangerous. 

The brunette sighed. His head already hurt from the hangover, but it was no match to the pain he felt in his heart. 

Rubbing his eyes, he finally stood up and made his way out of the bedroom and walked down the hallway to where he knew the kitchen was. There, he found Arthur, the smaller teen angrily throwing a stack of waffles together onto a paper plate. 

He barely glanced at Ethan as he approached, standing ever-so straighter. “Eat. Then talk. I want an explanation. Be glad that’s all I’m asking for.”

Ethan kept his mouth shut, nodding as he dug into the plate of food Arthur handed to him. He would have made a comment about the other not eating with him, but the telltale tapping of his fingers on his crosses arms and the juggling of his leg left Ethan knowing he was too anxious to eat anything. 

Ethan scarfed down the food like a starving man. It’s been so long since he’d had waffles, the last time being years ago. His parents hated them, so they weren’t allowed in the house, and Ethan certainly didn’t have enough money to buy them himself. 

“Slow down,” Arthur said after minutes of just silence. “You’re going to choke.”

Ethan did not, in fact, slow down, and Arthur only huffed at his non-compliance. When Ethan finished eating he threw away the plate and placed the fork in the dishwasher, the actions still familiar from when he’d stayed over so often when they were younger. 

He was lost in thought about old memories when Arthur cleared his throat. 

“So? What the fuck happened? And don’t give me that bullshit you tried to give me back in eighth grade. You hated Zach and Ben. Always did. You wouldn’t suddenly become buddy buddy with them overnight.”

“Have I ever told you I love the curtains your mom picked out? So fitting—“

 _“Ethan.”_ Arthur’s tone was one of warning, eyes staring daggers into the brunette. Ethan grimaced, averting his gaze. 

He couldn’t look him in the eye, lest the guilt he felt eat him whole. “It’s hard to explain…”

“I’ve got time.”

Ethan sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of this. So, he started with something simple. “My father.”

“What?” 

“My father,” Ethan restated. “Is a piece of shit.”

“Oh is he now?” 

It was Ethan’s turn to glare. “You want an explanation? Fine. I’m starting from the beginning. So fucking listen, ‘cause I’m not telling it again.” 

Ethan’s voice shook, and that’s when Arthur knew to shut his mouth. 

Ethan started again, “You remember how I’d always come over? How I never brought you to mine? There’s a reason for that…” he fiddled with a loose string on his boxers. “My parents...they suck ass. Plain and simple. Unless I do something major they don’t even notice I’m in the room. My mom’s an entitled bitch who won’t shut her trap, and my dad–“

Ethan scoffed. “My dad’s an abusive prick whose only goal in life is to make sure I don’t make him look bad.”

“Abusive?” Arthur asked, brows furrowed. “The fuck do you mean abusive? Does he...does he _hit_ you?” 

Ethan’s grimace was enough of an answer, and Arthur’s eyes went wide. 

“Why did you never tell me?! Ethan, I could have helped—“ 

“We both know nothing would have been fixed, Artie. No one gives a shit in Hatchetfield.”

“But—“

“You want me to explain right?” Ethan quirked a brow. “Let me finish.”

Arthur huffed, but stayed silent. 

“My dad works with Zach’s dad, y’know? And back in eighth grade he heard about the whole poem thing, confronted me about it after I got home. After we...he didn’t like what he heard. Told me he’d never have a _fag_ for a son.” Ethan pursed his lips. “So I lied to save my own ass. Told him lies about you and about me...and he told me to ditch you. Told me to make better friends, told me who those friends would be, and I listened because I was terrified about what would happen if I didn’t.” 

“So you lied...and you threw me under the bus,” Arthur began. “Because your father is a homophobic prick?” Ethan nodded, and Arthur frowned. 

“You still beat me. You physically hurt me, Ethan. Why did you do that? If it was about pretending you didn’t _have_ to do that and you did!” 

Ethan bit his lip. “That…I did it to impress Zach and Ben. But...I was angry. I was so angry with myself and with everyone and you were a reminder of that—“

“Oh, so it’s my fault?!”

“No!” Ethan finally looked Arthur in the eyes, and his heart clenched at the tears starting to well up in them. “No, never. What I did, I don’t expect to be forgiven anytime soon, or _ever_. But I’ve never thought of it as your fault, Artie...and I fucking hate that I’ve hurt you this much. I hate it with every fiber of my being.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Artie asked, voice quiet. 

“You would have tried to help me and I couldn’t…” Ethan licked his lips. “I couldn’t risk letting us be seen together.”

“You didn’t want to get hurt.”

“I didn’t want _you_ getting hurt either.”

Arthur scoffed, “So you hurt me instead?” 

“If my father had gone after you, which he would have, he would have done so much worse.”

Arthur laughed. It was wet, angry and spiteful. “Bullshit!”

“It isn’t!”

“But it is! You’re making excuses!”

“Arthur—!” Ethan clenched his fists. “If I’d of told him the truth I wouldn’t fucking be here! When I mean he wouldn’t have a faggot for a son, I mean he’d make it so he didn’t have a son at all! And then he’d go after you next! I’m not fucking lying!”

_“Bull.”_

Ethan, frustrated, shoved up his own shirt, pointing at the lengthy scar that ran across his stomach. Arthur couldn’t help but eye the scattering bruises that bloomed on the pale skin surrounding it too. 

“My father gave me this with a steak knife when I was eight. I was curious and I didn’t know better, and I snuck into my moms closet to try on some of her shit because I thought it would be fun.” Ethan grimaced. “Wasn’t very fun when I got caught, and my father beat me within an inch of my life, then gave me this as a reminder.” 

“That’s even more of a reason you should have told me!” Arthur exclaimed. “You...you could have been fucking killed?! What if something happened? I would have...I would have never _known_ and you would be gone-“ 

“What could you have done?!”

“I don’t know! I don’t know…” Arthur wiped the tears from under his eyes with the heels of his hands. “You could have stayed here. We could have left! But you should have told me, Ethan…”

And suddenly, Ethan was being wrapped tightly in the other’s arms. He could feel Arthur’s glasses shift off his face with how much he smushed it into the brunette’s chest. His body trembled as he began to sob. 

“I-I hate you! God, I’ve s-spent n-n-nearly five years wondering what I did wrong! A-an-and I missed you—“ Ethan started to tear up as Artie hugged him tighter. “I missed y-you so fucking much...t-to think it was something l-like this and I co-could have helped you? You should h-have told me-!” 

Ethan didn’t respond, just held the smaller while he cried, tried to soothe him by running his hand through the boy’s raven locks. 

Arthur spoke again once he calmed down a bit, his voice thick was tears, and yet just barely above a whisper, “Did...did you mean what you said? That night back in eighth grade? Or was that a lie too?” 

Ethan inhaled sharply, trying to think of how to reply. “Considering I’ve been in love with you for the better part of five years, I don’t think it was, no.” 

“You dated Lex.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t care about you at the same time, Artie.”

“You’re in love with me…?”

Ethan nodded, and Arthur didn’t look him in the eye. It was silent for a few minutes, and Ethan found himself regretting what he’d admitted. _It was stupid, he was foolish. Arthur would kick him out and—_

“Give me time.”

“Huh?” 

Arthur stepped back from their embrace, and Ethan couldn’t have felt emptier. 

“Give me time to forgive you...make it up to me. I want to be your friend...I want to be _more_. But I can’t...I can’t do any of that right now after you’ve treated me like this. So give me time.” 

Ethan took in the request with pride, nodding immediately. 

“I understand...and I will. I don’t expect things to just go back to how they were...but I’m willing to try to make it better.” 

Arthur seemed to release some tension after that. “Thank you…” He flashed Ethan a small smile, and Ethan could feel his chest spark with the tiniest bit of warmth. 

It was a few hours later, as they sat once again on Arthur’s old loveseat that they addressed the elephant in the room. 

“I’m going to talk to my neighbor about you moving in with him,” Artie spoke suddenly. “His name’s Ted. He’s a piece of work, but he’s nice enough, and he’s always wanted a son…”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t this the guy who hit on both your parents at one point in time in the span of five minutes.”

“Yup.”

“Huh…” Ethan smirked. “Sounds fun. You sure he’d be down for it though?” 

Artie pursed his lips. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about it. But you’re not staying at your house. I won’t let you. You’re eighteen so technically your parents can’t force you to stay.”

“So Ted it is…”

Arthur did, in fact, talk to Ted the next morning. The man was chipper, and only asked a few questions before agreeing. 

“I need _someone_ to do the chores around the house,” he’d explained to both boys. While Ethan was thankful to be taken in, he definitely wasn’t looking forward to what was to come when it came to the state of the older man’s home. 

By the end of that month, Arthur had successfully helped Ethan Green move into his next-door neighbor’s house, the two sneaking the few belongings Ethan owned from his childhood home as quietly as they could. Ethan’s parents were none the wiser. 

Ted’s house was a mess when Ethan first moved in. There was shit everywhere. He had blankets and trash scattered in his living room, with dirty dishes piled in the two sinks he had in the kitchen. He set Ethan to work cleaning up the house, and Ethan didn’t complain a bit. He was living there rent-free after all. That, and the man gave him free cigarettes. 

Arthur took his weed when he saw Ethan trying to hide it after he unpacked. 

“Drugs? Still?” 

“It helps me relax! Just give it!” 

Arthur only huffed and proceeded to throw it into the trash, dump water and more trash over it, then take out the bag to the trash bins in front of the house. Ethan pouted for a bit after that, but he knew Arthur wouldn’t budge about that matter. And he wanted back in the boy’s good graces after all. 

Ethan’s life improved dramatically after that. He wasn’t in immediate danger with his father, his landlord was pretty chill, Arthur was actually speaking to him and not yelling, and he wasn’t failing his classes completely. 

He tried not to notice the talking that started, however. About him and Lex, about his change in mood, about the rumors of why and how and all things between. 

He avoided his father and mother in any place he knew they might possibly be, which wasn’t too difficult, but still not the easiest. 

He spent the next few months trying to be better for Artie. They didn’t speak to each other during school, lest Hatchetfield’s rumor mill start up, but he’d visit him where he worked at the cineplex to bring him things or just to keep him company. He tried to focus in school, tried to stay away from drugs and alcohol and tried to quit smoking (as much). He’d spend time over at Arthur’s when he was asked over, and he could tell that their relationship was starting to rekindle. 

He tried not to flirt too much, but it was proving to be difficult. Arthur was alluring, and he wanted to make that known, but he also knew Arthur needed space. 

So he only flirted when he knew the moment was right. Like when he caught Arthur staring at him, or when they looked at each other for just a smidge too long. When they were close enough that if Ethan just moved a tiny bit they’d be kissing, and boy did Ethan want that. He wouldn’t though, just wait until Arthur moved away, and he pretended not to notice the disappointment in Arthur’s eyes. 

He had even talked to Lex at one point during those months. She’d seen him at the cineplex, speaking with Arthur. Ethan hadn’t felt real panic in a long time, and was practically hyperventilating as she dragged him off to a secluded area. 

“You’re not picking on him while he's working, right? Because if you are, I’m dragging you away from this place right the fuck now.”

At that, he felt his lungs open just a bit, and he could breathe again. 

“I’m not! I promise.”

She looked doubtful. 

“You can ask! I had to bring him dinner and—“

“You?” She raised an eyebrow. “Bringing _him_ food? What am I missing here? Don’t you two hate each other?”

Ethan smiled sheepishly. “It’s a bit complicated…” Lex waved her hand, as if telling him to explain further. He sighed. “We used to be friends a long time ago, then some shit happened and then we weren’t...I’m trying to fix it. I don’t want him to hate me.”

“Is that why you were being so... _distant_...when we were together?”

He nodded. 

She looked a bit troubled for a second before replying. “The way you looked at him...he's more than a friend, right? That’s how you looked at me…”

Panic, it came back full force. 

“I-I can explain!” 

“You said you’ve known each other for a long time...did you even love me, Ethan? Or were you in love with him the whole time?” She looked upset. “Is that why you never talked to me about anything?”

“No! That’s not—“ Ethan couldn’t breathe again. “I loved you _so fucking much_ , Lex. You were important to me, you’re _still_ important to me. I’ve liked him for a long time, yes, but that didn’t stop me from loving you, Lex. I was banking on spending the rest of my life with you…”

“Ethan...are you crying?”

“What? I’m not…” He touched his face. His fingers came back wet. _He was._

“I’m not trying to…” he tried to stop, and that only made things worse. As he fought to wipe his face, Lex strided over to embrace him. That only made him cry harder. 

“I’m proud of you, y’know?” She whispered. He buried his face in her neck. He couldn’t see her face, but he could tell she was smiling. “You’re getting better. You’re letting things out. _I’m so proud of you, Ethan Green.”_

He’d never forget Alexandra Foster for as long as he lived. Her words would never leave him. And his love for her, while not as large as it once was, would be permanently etched into his heart. 

Arthur was clingier that night. Ethan suspected he’d seen Lex, but he never asked, just enjoyed the contact. When Ethan accidentally fell asleep at his house that night, he swore he could feel the press of warm lips against his right before he dropped off. 

It was a few weeks before Arthur and Ethan had another heart to heart. It was a Saturday night, with them in Arthur’s bedroom. Artie looked anxious, but Ethan didn’t push it. He knew the boy would talk when he was ready. 

“Ethan…?”

_There it was._

“You good, Artie?”

“I...I really like you…”

Ethan smiled. “I really like you too.”

Artie looked up at him with those round hazel eyes, and Ethan’s heart stopped. He hadn’t realized how close Artie had gotten. 

“You’ve been so nice and amazing these past few months and...i-if you want...I’d like to finish what we started in eighth grade…”

Ethan’s lips spread into the widest smile. Artie bit his lip. “You gonna sit there and stare or are you gonna kiss m—“

And Ethan’s lips smashed into his. It was a bit too rough, more teeth than necessary, but they both giggled. 

“Let me try that again,” Ethan whispered, close enough that Arthur could feel his breath on his lips. He gave a jerky nod, and Ethan leaned in once again. 

This time went much smoother, and Ethan could feel his heart pounding as their lips slid together perfectly. Arthur was trembling, just like he was all those years ago, and Ethan didn’t hold back from pulling him closer. 

_“I love you…”_ Ethan whispered against his lips. The whine Arthur made caused Ethan’s heart to speed up tenfold, and the smaller boy was suddenly climbing into his lap. 

Years of tension between them snapped as they kissed, all their feelings and troubles escaping them as they got lost in each other. 

Ethan broke the kiss after a bit to trail his lips down Arthur’s neck. The raven giggled, having been ticklish. 

He hummed, “Ethan...we should leave Hatchetfield after graduation.”

Ethan paused, but he soon was smiling against Arthur’s neck. “Where are you thinking?”

Arthur giggled some more as Ethan continued to pepper small kisses onto his skin, not dipping further down than that. 

“I was thinking somewhere warm...maybe Florida? Georgia?” 

“Texas?” Ethan said in a false southern accent. That earned him a small bop on the nose from Arthur’s finger. 

“No way in hell, Green.”

Ethan simply laughed. Artie rolled his eyes and went in for another kiss. Ethan obliged with no complaints. 

“I like Florida the best,” he told him when they broke apart. Arthur hummed in response. Ethan went on, “Doesn’t snow there, and there’s Disney World.”

Artie rolled his eyes. “Okay five year old, we’ll go to Florida then.” 

Ethan poked Artie in the side, earning a yelp from the boy. He earned a playful glare from the raven, but he knew it was only in jest. 

He pressed another quick kiss to Artie’s lips. “As long as it’s with you, I’d go anywhere in the world.”

Adoration sparkled in Artie’s hazel eyes. In just a split second, the boy was lunging forward to press his lips to Ethan’s, and down to the bed they went.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Stav. Hi Stav. Ily you’re amazing and you’ve supported me greatly as I made this. You’re what spurred me on to keep writing. 
> 
> This is also for Eli. Hi Eli, thanks for putting up with my shit on Twitter. 
> 
> More Black Friday shit will be up soon.


End file.
